Abbotsford terminates AHL contract with Calgary; no bearing on Utica

Tuesday

Apr 15, 2014 at 2:36 PMApr 15, 2014 at 8:33 PM

The American Hockey League affiliate for the NHL's Calgary Heat will have a new home next season. Where the team ends up remains to be seen but the move will not affect the Utica Comets' contract with the Vancouver Canucks, according Canucks and Comets team officials.

Observer-Dispatch

The American Hockey League affiliate for the NHL’s Calgary Heat will have a new home next season.

Where the team ends up remains to be seen, but the move will not affect the Utica Comets’ contract with the Vancouver Canucks, according Canucks and Comets team officials.

Abbotsford is about an hour from Vancouver.

A Canucks executive told the Province of Vancouver on Tuesday that the Canucks have no immediate plans to move their affiliate out of Utica.

Comets president Robert Esche reiterated the Canucks’ commitment to Utica on Tuesday afternoon. The Comets are in their first year in Utica as an affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks.

“There’s nothing there,” Esche said. “We have a six-year deal with them. They couldn’t pull out even if they were upset. As we sit, it’s a horse of a different color.”

The Vancouver Sun reported Tuesday that the city of Abbotsford, British Columbia, has terminated its contract with the Abbotsford Heat, the AHL affiliate of the Calgary Flames.

The Sun reported that the buyout will cost the city an estimated $5.5 million and that the city had lost about $7.2 million in the last five years, subsidizing the Heat.

“The Abbotsford Centre (the arena) is going in a different direction,” Esche said. “They’re looking for a different tenant, a different type of tenant.”

The Sun also reported that the Flames have not determined a new home for their AHL franchise, but that Glens Falls is a possibility. That arena was left vacant by the Adirondack Phantoms (the Philadelphia Flyers’ affiliate), who are moving to Allentown, Pa., starting next season.

The Canucks issued the following statement Tuesday:

“The Vancouver Canucks are committed to our AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets and enjoy a strong relationship with our partner club. A strong base of Utica fans (has) shown tremendous support throughout the season and the Canucks intend to honor our long-term partnership agreement with the Comets.”

Esche said the issue of a potential Calgary relationship with Utica began last year when Utica ownership began talking with the Flames about an AHL affiliate to Utica. When the conversations there broke down, the Canucks ended up in Utica.